We wrote about a tragic South Korea battery factory fire last year. This incident took the lives of 23 people, and injured eight others. The tragedy began when several lithium-ion batteries exploded in an area housing some 35,000 more stored in cases.
Fire officials explained they battled for hours to suppress the flames with dry sand, with smoke and small explosions continuing. The fire broke out in an area set aside for final inspection and packaging. That was all we knew at the time.
Korea Battery Factory Fire Inquiry
A BBC News report reveals how a Korean Court found the battery factory’s CEO guilty of not anticipating the tragic incident. The presiding officer awarded the manager a fifteen-year jail sentence, along with other executives.
This is the longest jail term on record under South Korea’s industrial safety laws. These regulations punish business owners and managers with at least a year in prison, or fines of up to $715,000 for fatal incidents. Clearly, the Court decided to make an example of the South Korea battery factory fire.
The prosecutor actually recommended a twenty-year jail sentence, on the basis that alterations to the factory “meant it was difficult for workers to escape the fire”. This was after investigators reported that the firm did not have proper safety measures in place, and did not train its workers adequately.
South Korea is a leading manufacturer of lithium batteries for electric cars, laptops, and much more. Despite this, the country’s President Lee Jae Myung believes workers require more protection from death or injury. The president has promised to increase penalties against businesses with fatal accidents.
This Court finding thus confirms the need to treat lithium batteries with respect at all times. We should always use them within their manufacturers’ specification, and know what to do in the unlikely event that they catch fire.
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